Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere (CPEA): A project overview

The global-scale atmospheric motions are originally generated by the strongest convective motions in the equatorial region caused by absorption of strong solar radiations. Specifically, the western Pacific region called the Indonesian Archipelago is known for its convections, which are the most active and the highest all over the globe due to its warmest ocean water. Therefore, through these global-scale motions, the atmospheric dynamics over the Indonesian equator result in the most significant influences to global atmospheric changes. The mechanisms of these atmospheric changes and fluctuations, however, have not yet been made clear due to the sparseness of observational data in that region. The Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere (CPEA) is a six-year research project of Japan to study dynamical and electrodynamical coupling processes in the equatorial atmosphere by conducting various observations in the Indonesian equatorial region. In the present paper we describe the outline of this project and show preliminary results from its first campaign conducted from March to May 2004.